Strange Beauty
by Tru-chan-speaks
Summary: An ALTERNATE UNIVERSE fic about the swapped lives of Bulma and Vegeta.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of the characters. I just write for fun and am not making any money off of this story. If you really want to sue me, then be my guest, but I assure you that there is nothing to sue me for. And even if you find something, I have no money my friend. (Alternate universe (A/U) kind of like a life swap. Bulma is around age 15)  
Strange Beauty  
Chapter One  
  
By Tru~colors  
  
"Such strange beauty." Freeza fingered the young royal's hair. The temperamental teen slapped his hand away. "Bad move," Freeza commented, right before throwing Bulma into the wall, making a fresh dent. But Bulma knew, from years of service to Freeza, this was as far as it would go. He wouldn't want to terribly damage such a rare flower.  
It was true that Princess Bulma was quite different from her fellow Saiya-jins. She did have the same brown tail that mirrored her moods, the same warriors' attitude, build and training. The thing that set her apart, were her eyes. They were deep pools of aqua, and she had the hair to match. Her curls cascaded down her back as a flowing waterfall, as the ocean. The ocean was one of the things that Saiya-jins did not have on their planet. Something of such purity would not have fit in their gloomy red home. This was what made people gaze at her in awe.  
Freeza pulled Bulma back by her tail then turned her to face him, as she fought to conceal the fact that she was in pain. Crossing her arms, she impatiently waited for Freeza's orders.  
"A little feisty today, hmm?" A smirk was plastered on his face. Bulma resisted the urge to rip it off. "Now go to your quarters and prepare, we will be reaching Chickyuu within the next hour."  
Freeza then turned and stalked down the hall to brief the soldiers for the invasion. Walking down to her quarters, Bulma silently cursed her father for committing her to serving the Ice-jin. From a young age, she had been beaten, chided, belittled, and................... Bulma shuddered at the memories that refused to leave her head. Turning the corner, she entered her quarters.  
A young servant girl was in the room and, startled at the princess's abrupt entrance, dropped the water pitcher she was holding. Bulma glared at the girl with ice in her eyes. "Y.... your highness..... I'm sorry..... this will never happen again...." "I'm sure it won't." She spat back. Bulma wasn't in the mood to deal with intolerant little children. The young girl began to scurry out of the room when Bulma stopped her. "And where do you think you're going?" "To refill your water pitcher your highness." She seemed to have regained her composure now. "Did I give you leave to do that?" Bulma was extremely annoyed now. Very frightened, the girl replied meekly, "No your highness, I thought to refill it that you would have a drin-" "DON'T TALK BACK TO ME!" "Your highness.... I....I did not intend to-" "ENOUGH, you have my leave, NOW GO!" The girl slowly bowed to her mistress and backed out of the room. Bulma picked up the now empty pitcher and hurled it at the wall. *CRASH* She was definitely not in the mood to be crossed. Her tail swished angrily back and forth. I hate being Freeza's little circus dog! That's all I'm worth to him, someone to do his dirty work for him, and if I fail to do his bidding, I'm beaten or worse. Is there nothing I can do about that? Of course not! "Don't talk back, don't fight back" I'm higher than that! I can do whatever the hell I want! Thoughts like that droned on in her head as she stalked over to the windows and crossed her arms. But as soon as she caught a glimpse of the planet that was in front of her, all of those thoughts were pushed out. Her eyes were especially attracted to the mass of that rare color which covered more than half the planet. The ocean. *********************************************************** Ok readers, this is the start of my first fic so I hope you liked it. I've never done this before so let me know if you like it, hate it, in the middle, etc. Basically tell me what you think and if I should continue or just quit while I'm ahead. Flame me if you must, it's all for the greater good of the story. ~Tru~ PS. I know it's short! But you have to take baby steps in the beginning. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: yeah yeah I know. I don't own DBZ or the characters; I'm not making any money either. That really is too bad but I can't to anything about either of them.  
Strange Beauty  
Chapter Two  
By Tru~Colors  
Her eyes were especially attracted to the mass of that rare color which covered more than half the planet. The ocean. *****************************************************************  
Bulma tugged at one of her aqua curls in wonder. It's beautiful! I see now why father considers me a rare treasure. A frown appeared on her lips as an afterthought crept into her mind, Seems I wasn't valuable enough to keep in the palace. Bulma pulled herself back to reality and realized that, judging by the distance, they would reach the planet within the next ten minutes. Time to make ready. Walking to her closet, Bulma pulled off the now ripped gown she was wearing and began to dress in her warriors clothing and armor. ***************************************************************  
"VEGETA! CHI-CHI! DINNER!" Mrs. Briefs called out to her twins. The two of them paused mid-tackle and looked at their mother. Mrs. Briefs sighed in frustration at the two 16 year olds. "In a sec mom, I'm gonna beat him this time!" "I DON'T THINK SO SIS!" Vegeta flipped his sister over and pinned her to the ground, a smirk played on his lips. "Ha I win." "Fine, now let me up." "Nope." "Oh come on! You already beat me!" Chi-Chi rolled her eyes. "Say it!" Vegeta was obviously amused. "::Sigh:: Vegeta is the greatest fighter in the world and I, his twin, will never be able to beat him. There happy?" "Ecstatic." Vegeta let Chi-Chi up and raced to the table. "Man am I starved!" She said, Vegeta grunted his agreement. "Now kids," Mr. Briefs cautioned, "try to save some for the rest of us, I know you two can have very big appetites."  
A sudden chilling voice was heard behind them. "Well I hope you enjoyed your last meal here on chickyuu."  
Mr. and Mrs. Briefs were frozen in fright. They had no idea what was in store for them and had no time to react. Burly men wearing warrior's armor seized the four of them. The family was cuffed and watched helplessly as a dozen men went into their home, Capsule Corporations. "Who's the strongest fighter in the world now?" Chi-Chi whispered to her brother. "Shut up Chi!" He hissed back.  
Vegeta was trying to figure all this out. "What is the meaning of this?" Mrs. Briefs exclaimed. The man holding her slapped her across the face to shut her up.  
Vegeta was extremely angry now. He ducked quickly and spin-kicked his captor in the legs, catching him off guard. Chi-Chi took cue from this and kneed the man holding her in a not so pleasant spot. She and Vegeta began to race towards the old tree house. It was a sort of safe house, but with their hands cuffed they could not get in.  
The two men, having recovered from their shock, ran up, no flew up behind them and began their pursuit. Vegeta rolled out of the way just in time but Chi-Chi wasn't so lucky. One of the men grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back towards him, he then grasped her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder, then brought her over to a cage they had found.  
A few minutes later the men succeeded in catching Vegeta and they threw him into the cage with his sister. The men began to return from ransacking the mansion and facilities of C.C. carrying blueprints and all of the data on the dino caps technology. Mr. and Mrs. Briefs were horrified, all of their work, and their children's work, was going to a brutal race of bloodthirsty warriors, or at least that's what they had gathered from the sights and sounds around them. Suddenly a blue haired woman, quite different from the rest of the invaders, landed in front of them. "Welcome, to the rest of your pitiful lives."  
Her voice betrayed the angelic image that stood before them. It was cold and ruthless, while the girl was quite beautiful. Blue hair forming a perfect halo framing her young face, she did not appear to be much older than Vegeta and Chi-Chi, perhaps younger. "I take it you are the Briefs family, creators of this... Capsule Corporation." She turned to the captain. "Have we all that we need?"  
The black haired man stepped forward, "Yes your highness." "Very well then, I suppose we have no more need for this pathetic establishment now do we?" With an evil smirk the woman decimated the entire compound using what looked like a ball of light coming from her palm.  
Vegeta and Chi-Chi looked on in horror as their home, their past, was destroyed. Mr. Briefs suddenly realized something and his mouth dropped open in shock. "You... You're of the Sayajin race, aren't you?" "Ooh aren't you smart?"  
A swift blow hit Mr. Briefs square in the stomach and he keeled over in pain. "Anyone else have something to say?"  
None of the prisoners moved save for a few tears that trickled down Mrs. Briefs face. Chi-Chi had her nose stuck up in defiance and Vegeta looked his captor strait in the eyes. This surprised Bulma and a closer look told her why. His eyes, and the girl's eyes, were coal black and had A Sayajin glint to them, yet, neither of them had a tail. "You! Boy! What is your name?" "Why should I tell you?" His gaze never left the blue pools of cold ice that stared right back. Bulma decided to take a different tactic. "You," She adjusted her interest to Mrs. Briefs, "Who are the birth parents of these two?"  
Vegeta and Chi-Chi were thoroughly confused as their mother's eyes went wide with shock. How could she have known? Was running through her mind. "I am." Mrs. Briefs tried to say this matter-of-factly. "DO YOU TAKE ME AS A FOOL? THESE ARE NOT YOUR CHILDREN! THEY ARE UNDOUBTEDLY OF SAYAJIN DESENT!" *************************************************************** Ooh! Cliffhanger! Sorry but I had to do it. Don't worry the next chapter is coming soon to a computer near you. Hmmmm.... I wonder who Vegeta and Chi- Chi's real parents are. Only time will tell. ~Tru~ Ps. don't forget to review! Trucolorsanm@netscape.net 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Same goes as usual. I don't own DBZ, or have any money. Please don't sue me! I'm a good kid! ~~~~~ = memory  
Strange Beauty  
Chapter Three  
By Tru~Colors  
"DO YOU TAKE ME AS A FOOL? THESE ARE NOT YOUR CHILDREN! THEY ARE UNDOUBTEDLY OF SAYAJIN DESENT!" *****************************************************************  
Mrs. Briefs looked to her children with a sad facade displayed on her face. ~~~~~ A knock came on the door, and Mrs. Briefs strayed from her chicken wiping her wet hands on an exhausted dishrag. The old thing was a gift from her mother on her wedding day. Who could that be? She thought. Walking over to the door, she speculated over the nasty weather they'd been having. No one would be out in this storm. Who knows, maybe I'm hearing things. Opening the door she saw a woman. Regal black hair cascaded down her back and dark menacing eyes seemed to cut short the frail woman's breath. In an instant, the stranger whisked herself inside with two bundles tucked under her arm. She closed the door and covered Mrs. Brief's mouth, "don't make a sound." To re-enforce her authority the stranger held a ball of... of... light? No... fire? up close to her face, so she could feel the heat. She nodded and her captor released her.  
"Don't ask questions, I'll tell you what you must know and then I will leave." The woman put the two bundles on the table and Mrs. Briefs noticed that they were two babies. "These are my children, Vegeta and Chi- Chi," her eyes looked sad as she said the next part, "They are twins." Her sad expression quickly changed back to her intimidating appearance. "I come from a planet far from here. My children would have been killed if I had not snuck them away. I am leaving them to you; a wealthy Chickyuu-jin such as yourself will be able to support them. I have cut off their tails so they will not pose a threat to you or your family." The woman then turned to take her leave.  
Mrs. Briefs finally found her voice and asked several things at once. "Tails? Who are you? What is your name? Where did you come from?" "I WILL ANSWER NO QUESTIONS!" the woman pushed Mrs. Briefs away from her. She ran, no flew out the door and before Mrs. Briefs could stand up, she disappeared from sight. A wail was heard from behind her and she turned to see the two bundles squirming on the table. How am I going to explain this? ~~~~~ "Didn't you hear me? I asked you a question!" The blue haired woman was getting more irritated as Mrs. Briefs snapped herself out of the memory. She couldn't hold back any longer, her defenses broke down and she cried. She cried for the lie she had lived, the current situation, and the bleak future looming dark and ominous ahead of them. "Shut up woman." A man slapped Mrs. Briefs across the face, sending her to the ground. "STOP IT!" Chi-chi was screaming at them, "YOU'RE HURTING HER!"  
The Sayajin princess walked up to the cage and stared the girl down, "Would you rather her dead? Then she would feel no pain."  
Chi-Chi closed her mouth and shook her head, backing away as far as she could before bumping into Vegeta, who wrapped his arms around his sister in protective instinct. He stared strait at Bulma while Chi-chi cried into his chest.  
Bulma noticed more and more the Sayajin like characteristics the two of them had. Black hair on both of them, the boy's sticking strait up and the girl's strait down, the defined chin, the rebellious nature. They had the faint look of warriors softened by their surroundings. I will have to put them to the test. Bulma walked around the cage to face the boys back, he didn't move. Then she swiftly punched the spot where his tail would have been. He yelped in pain and stumbled a bit, if his sister wasn't supporting him he would have fallen over. "That proves it." Bulma turned around to her captain and issued her commands. "Take those two to the ship and place them in one of the separate cells," Bulma made a gesture towards Mr. and Mrs. Briefs, "you two carry our two rebels and follow me."  
The two Sayajins each grasped one side of the cage and lifted off the ground, following their princess close behind. Chi-Chi looked at her brother with a determined look on her face. "We're going to get out of here, I'll think of something." She whispered, Chi-Chi may not have been as advanced a fighter as Vegeta, but she definitely compensated for it with her cunning brains. She was brewing up something good, he could tell. "Don't think you can escape," one of the men had overheard her! But how? "There is no way to be free once you've been captured, and I think the princess has something special planned for you." ***************************************************************** Ok guys that's the end of chapter three, this is where I really need to get those reviews in. what do you think is going to happen? I won't post another chapter until I get at least 15 reviews, so type away! Remember to put in the subject line, "about your fic". Trucolorsanm@netscape.net See ya in the next chapter! ~Tru~ 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not (I repeat, do NOT) own DBZ. ( '___' = thinking ~~~ = memory  
Strange Beauty  
Chapter Four  
  
By Tru~colors  
  
"There is no way to be free once you've been captured, and I think the princess has something special planned for you." *****************************************************************  
It was dark, too dark for comfort. But then, who said anything about being comfy. Arms tied over her head, Chi-Chi groaned and awoke from another restless night of broken sleep. She had been in this position for over a week now. Still on earth. This was the thought that kept her going this whole time. Someone has to come, anyone with the power to defeat these beasts. The truth was painful and Chi-Chi had learned to defy reality by now.  
At least she had Vegeta for company. Relatives had always told them that they were like the yin and the yang, Vegeta being the darker side of the two. He was naturally that way, just as she was naturally the brains of the operation. Unfortunately her other half stood chained in the confinement tube beside her.  
The door slid open as the blue haired Saiya-jin, whom they learned through beatings to call Ojosama (princess), entered the room. She then studied the two prisoners with intent dislike as she did every day, eyes searing into the twins with burning hatred. As far as Chi-Chi knew they were being scanned repeatedly to look for Sayajin DNA. The same young looking medic slave would come in and take a blood sample every day. The poor discolored soul did not seem to enjoy his job, where as the Saiya-jins always enjoyed inflicting pain to anyone and anything. That day "Ojosama" finally cracked, which was surprising considering she wasn't the one being tortured.  
"WHO ARE YOU?" Bulma couldn't stand not knowing what these full blooded Saiya-jins were doing on such a weak planet, especially since no records showed that any of their babies had been sent to destroy it. Every day the results came out the same. Full blooded. Full blooded. FULL BLOODED!  
Chi-Chi spoke first. "I'm not sure I know anymore." She uttered a faint chuckle, "You've already taken that away from us, what more could you want?"  
"Too bad, you destroyed every scrap of evidence with our 'pathetic establishment' of a home." Vegeta added with amusement.  
Bulma's eyes shot up to him with a menacing look. "What do you mean by that?"  
"Oh come on! Aren't you supposed to be the authority on strategy?" Vegeta was really milking the situation for all it was worth. Bulma clenched her fists and didn't do a very good job at containing her anger.  
"Of course I am you fool! I am the princess of all Saiya-jins! The supreme! The superior! Don't you forget that, you piece of scum."  
"Oh really? Why should I believe you? Seeing that there were all sorts of belongings that would tell you all you wanted to know about anything in those buildings!"  
She paused at his statement. 'Damn! He's right!'  
Chi-Chi had been silent during the whole argument. She continued to evaluate the situation at hand. At this rate, Vegeta would only serve to aggravate their captor. He had to stop it now, before too late.  
"Well then" there was a sickening look on her face, and the chickyuu native feared the worst. "Since you have such confidence, let's see how you do without the safety of your dear sister here."  
Chi-Chi froze in shock. There were two possible outcomes of what had just been said. Either Chi-Chi would very soon meet her end, or just be moved to a different location. She hoped and prayed for the latter.  
The Sayajin-no-ojo punched a couple of buttons on the life support system for Chi-Chi's containment tube and the chains detached from the ceiling. She slumped down unprepared for the loss of support. Bulma ripped the glass door open and threw Chi-Chi out onto the ground. The captive's entire body ached from lack of movement.  
Vegeta visibly winced at the sight of his sister's treatment. Chi-Chi feebly pushed herself up, only to be kicked down again. Rolling over, she clutched her side in pain. 'Just do it and get it over with' she found herself thinking. Contrary to the girl's thoughts, Bulma pulled her up by the collar of her shirt. Thrusting her out the door, she turned back and smiled sweetly at Vegeta,  
"Oh... and don't you fret! I'm sure Freeza will find her entertaining."  
  
The sound of this name made Vegeta's blood run cold. He did not know much about this person, but just hearing the guards speak about him was enough for him to be worried about. 'Be strong Chi, be strong.' ***********************************************  
"Impudent girl, you will learn how to speak to me!" Freeza shoved Chi- Chi to the ground and prepared a blast.  
"Freeza," Bulma interrupted him. "Do realize that she has been softened by living here... you wouldn't want to kill her just yet would you?" Bulma found quite a lot of humor in her current position.  
Cringing on the floor, Chi-Chi's blood boiled in anger. She slowly felt her power well up inside her as she stood up. In her captivity she had seen the same blast she was about to attempt happen over and over to different areas and people.  
Bulma saw this happening and laughed openly.  
"You fool! You really think you could handle a ki blast!" Freeza saw this as well and began to snigger with the princess.  
Chi-Chi's anger had opened a valve in her energy bank. She pushed it all into her open palms.  
Bulma and Freeza only laughed harder. They knew what would happen next. The mere thought of her being thrown back by her own ki blast was hilarious to them. As a first try, there would be no controlling it.  
Chi-Chi yelled out as she let loose her bombshell. It seemed to rip through her hands as a great current whipped her hair about her face. Losing her focus, she instinctively shielded her eyes with her arms. The Ki blast was bouncing around the walls. It wasn't that big but for Chi-Chi it was quite strong. It ricocheted off the tiles and bounced back at her. The next thing she knew, she was flying back by the force of the blow. *********************************************  
Vegeta would be pacing back and forth if not for the restraints keeping him grounded. He growled a low sound in anguish.  
"Who knows what they could be doing to her!" Looking up at the chains, his morale went down.  
~~~ He had been pulling and wrenching at the shackles for hours now. His sister had given up at the same task in depressing defeat, but Vegeta refused to stop trying. He always was a bit stubborn. The door slid open at a painstakingly slow pace. This couldn't be good.  
A young looking man came in, followed by the blue haired girl. The man looked positively green, and not with envy. 'Another alien species.' Vegeta didn't know weather to fear this new person or not. He tensed up though when he saw him go over to the tube where Chi-Chi was being held. He took out a needle looking instrument and opened the glass access door.  
Her sleeping form recoiled from the initial prick as she awoke abruptly. The man grabbed her arm to hold her still.  
"Let go of me!" The man looked up at her sadly. He pulled the instrument out and closed the door. He then picked up a second one and went over to take Vegeta's blood sample.  
Vegeta began to thrash out with all his might, trying to break loose. He stopped however when he heard the Sayajin laugh mockingly. His stare transfixed with hers.  
"Fool! You will just over exert yourself! Those chains are made of magnesorial sulfium! You couldn't break free if you were the legendary super Sayajin!"  
He did not listen and continued to pull on the chains, nor did he notice the medic pull out a different needle. While he was still preoccupied, the man injected the contents into his arm. His muscles began to relax against his will. "Sedative... a dirty trick." he mumbled, before blacking out. ~~~ ***************************************************************** OK that's it for chapter 4. I really surprised myself, I did a long one this time! Thank you to those of you who reviewed, and to those of you who didn't, it isn't that hard! I'm sure Oolong could do it, and he's only got 4 fingers per hand! But don't fret. I don't hate you! 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Yes I am aware that I do not own these characters. And yes I am aware that I have kinda changed their personalities. But wait, there's a big turning point starting in this chapter so hold on to those rotten tomatoes! ~Tru~ Ps. I don't own DBZ  
Strange Beauty  
Chapter Five  
  
By Tru~colors  
  
~~~"Sedative... a dirty trick." he mumbled, before blacking out. ~~~ ***  
Bulma stalked down the hall in the temporary base. The Sayajin invaders were staking out in one of the largest chickyuu buildings they could find. Footsteps reverberating off the tiles loudly, she made her way to the make-shift head quarters. The soldiers guarding the door stepped aside as she blew past them. "Freeza," she began, her voice shaking in anger, "I am sorry to interrupt you—" He cut her off tersely. "There is talk of scandal among the troops my dear." He spoke without turning from his maps, getting right to the point. "And you think I don't notice?" Bulma was extremely on edge about something. She had noticed immediately, but brushed it off as easily as one would smash a fly. But she could not ignore the talk spreading quickly through the squads. Freeza's tail lashed out and wrapped around her waist, pulling her close enough to feel his breath on her neck. "You would be wise not to be fresh with me." Every instinct in the rogue princess's body shot sky high. Her fingers tingled with the will to blast herself free, only problem was... her father would... ~~~ The 12 year old princess gasped for air as the king held her up from the hospital bed. His fist was clenched around her throat. "You would dare attack him? He can order the destruction of this ENTIRE planet with the flick of a hand! You threatened all of our lives today! What kind of ruler willingly endangers her warriors?" Bulma uttered some faint inaudible words that seemed to satisfy him. He dropped her back onto the bed. "Always remember the consequences." With a stern look and a low growl he left her to the medics. ~~~ Bulma forced out the words "My deepest apologies Freeza" and he paused to stroke her neck before releasing her. Though reluctant, Bulma adhered to the foreboding words echoing in her ears. "On with my point, my beauty." Bulma fought not to sneer at this pet name. "I would like to inspect this boy we have stumbled upon, so I may verify or disprove this possible royalty." Bulma ground her teeth in anger. 'I am the true heir to the throne, not those sorry excuses for Sayajins!' She wouldn't know what to do if this were proven false and she was tossed out of the castle. 'But then,' she reassured herself, 'there was no way they would let the two of them live. They would be found lame and be put down for sure! How could they let a pair of soft, improperly reared heirs take the throne? I am surely more fit than they.' Bulma had noticed it, of course, at first glance. The boy had a remarkable resemblance to her father Vegeta, king of Vegeta-sei. If this mere captive truly was the son of the king, then her entire life would have been a lie! What low class scum could have birthed her? "Hold your temper." Freeza's voice cut through her thoughts in preemptive discipline. The monotonous sound of bustling squads, slaves and officers surrounded them. "We wouldn't want anything to happen before our return, now would we?" By now the two were just around the corner from the holding cell. Bulma was about to make a curt reply when she saw something missing at the door. "Where are the guards?" "Oh no," she began sarcastically, "he's loose in the building." She dramatically drew a finger to her chin in pretense of puzzlement. "He must have put up a fight when they tried to shift his position." Freeza remarked. Medical studies had shown that a body would shut down if not moved once in a while. This explained the slow and painful death by crucifixion. They needed to keep the two insubordinates alive to bring back to her father. "How adorable, he must be looking for his sister." She yawned audibly. "Ah well I haven't had a good chase in a while. Could be mildly entertaining." "You find him and bring him back girl! I'll take care of these incompetent fools." He made a gesture towards the soldiers. "I could use some target practice." Bulma turned the corner just when Freeza was lifting one of the failed Saiya-jins up by the throat. *** Stealthily creeping down the hallway, Vegeta made his way to the largest room in the building. Having been there for a CC banquet last year, he knew how to get there. A mirage of flowing gowns, soft waltzes and drinks all around played in his memory. 'This must be where they're holding the... the slaves...' Peering around the corner he caught a glimpse of the guards at the door. 'No good, they'll see me for sure... ah-ha! The kitchen door, it leads to a back hall-way!' He fumbled through the dark, following a crack of light at the edge of the shadows. The glow coming from the ballroom pierced his eyes as Vegeta ventured a glimpse inside. The hole, that would be an open doorway, was closed off by a set of bars that hummed with electric activity. Through these bars was an endless sea of heads. Hundreds of his fellow Chickyuu-jins were crammed into a room that was meant to hold only a third of their number. Quickly scanning the room, he grunted in frustration. 'Where is she?' He looked around the room once, then twice more and furrowed his brow in defeat. 'What if he killed her?' He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the idea of life with his other half, his sister. "Chi-Chi... Where are you?" he murmured. "Vegeta? Briefs-Kun, is that you?" His eyes snapped open. That voice was so familiar. "Lunch?" "Oh Veggie, it is you!" The blue haired female rushed up to the gate which separated him from the rest of West City's diminishing populace. Carefully avoiding a shock from the bars, she reached a bandaged hand through to grip his. It was warm. "You're alive? But... when they attacked Master Roshi... I though you would have... they could have..." "I was out... shopping... when they came for him," She winced, "Oh Vegeta! I should have been there! He was unable to... I was... I could have-" "Stop it. You and I both know there would have been nothing you could have done." She released his hand. "You've got to get out of here, find whoever you can get free a-" Her eyes suddenly widened and her beautiful tan skin went very pale. Vegeta's body tensed up as he sensed someone standing behind him. He turned slowly to see a beam of light fly past his face. He gasped in horror as it impacted with the woman behind the bars. "No..." He watched her fall. Her eyes looking strait at him and yet... not seeing... Her breath cut to short gasps, and there was a distinct hole through her chest. "NO!" He reached through the bars towards her, winced as a shock jolted through him. She was out of his reach. "Oh boo hoo," Vegeta's stomach dropped. Turning once more he saw her. Black hair sprawled over her face and bruises covering her body, Chi-Chi lay unconscious at the feet of the Saiyajin-no-Ojo. The princess was standing with a finger pointed as a gun. "Looking for this?" She smirked at him and kicked Chi-Chi forward. "Well, it seems we have ourselves a little run-away!" She crouched into fighting position. "Let's see what they've taught you about fighting... or should I call it self defense?" Vegeta was stunned. 'Remember, brains before brawn.' His late teacher's words resonated in is head. He too readied himself for battle. *** Mrs. Briefs' shaking, overworked hands were poised over the keyboard of an outdated computer in the separate holding cell. The business office of the Tenco production building was equipped with a windows 95 and a slow dial up internet connection. She and her husband had been put to work, immediately, at cracking a code in the UN's main database. The captive suddenly felt the sensation of being watched. Slowly turning she found herself face to face with one of her tall, broad shouldered Saiya- jin guards. "Well wench? Have you finished with the code yet? Freeza does not like to be kept waiting." The frail woman shuddered at the mention of that name. Her hand reached up to lightly touch her badly bruised shoulder in remembrance of Freeza's wrath. Despite herself, she reached over to eject the floppy. Her arm took on a life of its own, despite how many chilling thoughts of what these aliens could do with such power. She handed it over. "That's a good girl." The warrior beckoned to someone at the door. A kitchen slave entered timidly carrying hot soup, a loaf of bread and a plate of an acrid smelling meat. She looked at Mrs. Briefs through her sad, fishlike eyes as the Chickyuu native shakily grasped the tray and set it down on the desk. "Thank you Bardock-san." It was sincere thanks. Mrs. Briefs pulled off a piece of bread and stumbled weakly over to the cot on which Mr. Briefs had passed out earlier. 'Food deprivation, definitely something to motivate a person.' "Wake up dearest, I have food for you." Mr. Briefs' eyes fluttered open to the sound of her voice. Sitting up, he smiled at her as she helped him to nourish his already heavily weakened body. Bardock scowled at the scene before him. 'Petty Chickyuu emotions, they're such a waste of time.' He crossed his arms, left the room and joined his fellow sentry at the door. "Now that we have the key to the whole planet we won't be needing those two anymore. The poison should start to work within the hour..." *** "Well boy," Bulma's cold stare bore into him with an amused and disturbing expression on her face. "You seem to be holding out well... for a pathetic weakling such as yourself." Vegeta was on his back, breathing hard and trying desperately to stop his blood from flowing freely out of his chest wound. The princess chuckled lightly. "Too bad your master didn't hold out so well." The flash of anger in his eyes was exactly what she wanted to see. She continued to taunt him. "Yes, I finished him off pretty quickly. Though it is reasonable for you to be surviving our little spat," There was a unique irony to that word that Vegeta couldn't quite put his finger on. "After all, you are a full blooded Saiya-jin, and what doesn't kill one, will make him stronger." She paused here and locked eyes with Vegeta. "You've been cooped up for a rather long time, haven't you?" She smiled wryly and as his blood began to boil he leapt at her once again, ignoring the searing pain coming from the gash. Bulma easily stepped aside, allowing the ill-balanced Vegeta to fly right past her into a chair. He looked up in time to see her wink at him before she had swiftly pinned his arms behind his back. The touch of her harsh skilled hands roughly pulling him from the ground and into her control sent a strange sensation through his body. Bulma froze with shock, was that what she thought it was? She couldn't be sure. She had also felt the foreign sensation run through her. She growled loudly and with one swift movement, she whacked Vegeta in the back of the head, knocking him out. Stopping his open wound with her hand, she dragged the unconscious rebel down the hallway back towards the confines of the makeshift prison. *** Well then, there's chapter five! I wonder where all this is going? And what about the rumors of scandal among the troops? We'll have to wait and see, PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Remember to review! I need some responses to my little ficcy or I'm going to burst! I want to know what you think. ~Tru~ 


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